Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pose for a group photo with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Dujiangyan in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, December 5, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron had friendly exchanges on Friday in Dujiangyan in Chengdu, capital city of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Upon their arrival, Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, were warmly received by Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan. Welcoming them to Sichuan, known as the "Land of Abundance", Xi recalled his visit last year to the Hautes-Pyrenees Department at Macron's invitation. Xi said he believed that Macron's visit will help deepen his understanding of China, Xinhua reported. 

In Dujiangyan, the two couples strolled and conversed along Yangong Path before taking seats at Huaigu Pavilion, where they enjoyed tea by the waterside and held wide-ranging discussions on global affairs.

The Dujiangyan irrigation system is the world's only ancient irrigation project still in operation today, and also one of the earliest successful practices of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, Xi said, adding that its construction process fully reflects the Chinese nation's spirit of constant self-improvement, fearlessness in the face of hardship, and courage to forge ahead, according to Xinhua. 

Macron later said in a post on X platform. "At Dujiangyan, the two-thousand-year-old marvel that tames water and irrigates Sichuan, we shared a meaningful moment with President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan."

Macron said just like in our Hautes-Pyrénées, which he was eager to show them, we found the same harmony between human ingenuity and nature, the care given to the mountains and the water that sustains life. He also expressed his gratitude for "this inspiring visit and the warm hospitality filled with friendship."

The scope and significance of this China visit are reflected in the itinerary of his trip, which extends beyond the capital, Chinese experts said.  

"As President, Macron represents not only the French government, but also the French people and French society. Therefore, his visits to more Chinese cities signal a desire from the French side to gain a deeper understanding of China," Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Friday. 

The French president said he was "very touched" by the gesture, a departure from official protocol, and the trip was a sign of mutual trust and a desire to "act together" at a time when global challenges are rising, France 24 reported. 

It's not the first time that Xi held an informal meeting with Macron. 

On April 7, 2023, Xi held an informal meeting with the French president in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province in South China.  The two leaders had tea by the water, enjoying the view and discussing the past and present, at the Pine Garden in Guangzhou, according to Xinhua. 

Through both formal and informal meetings—including closer, more casual, "around-the-table" style conversations—the two sides can better understand each other's thinking, communicate more smoothly, and advance bilateral relations in a steady manner, Ding Chun, director of the Center for European Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Friday. 

"In particular, these more personalized and informal interactions help strengthen the sense of closeness, deepen understanding of each other's ideas, reasoning, and policy intentions, and promote greater interaction, all of which have a highly positive impact on the development of bilateral relations," Ding noted. 

People-to-people ties 

Noting that China and France are outstanding representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations, respectively, Xi said on Friday that the spirit of independence shared by the two countries stems from their profound cultural heritage. The establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries was not only a "handshake" between two independent countries, but also the convergence of two splendid civilizations, he added, per Xinhua. 

Amid an international landscape marked by intertwined changes and turmoil, Xi said China believes that, as two major countries with long history and profound culture, China and France can jointly contribute more to world peace, stability and human progress through dialogue and cooperation. 

Radio France Internationale (RFI) described Friday's visit as being about "heritage visit, pandas and ping-pong," with a more intimate and relaxed atmosphere, highlighting the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. 

On Chinese social media, netizens have been closely following Macron's agenda in Chengdu. 

As early as Friday morning, a video of him casually jogging at Chengdu's Jincheng Lake Park and waving hello to local residents doing their morning exercises exploded across the internet.

By afternoon, when he arrived at Sichuan University, the scene turned electric: huge crowds surged forward, students frantically reached out for handshakes, and security was hilariously outmatched. Photos and clips flooded Weibo and Douyin, with many buzzing about the thrill of meeting the French president in the flesh.

Later, Macron dropped by the Sichuan Provincial Gymnasium to support French athletes at the 2025 ITTF Mixed Team World Cup. He grabbed a paddle and traded rallies with China's superstar duo Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, then posed for photos. Many Chinese netizens were genuinely stunned and impressed by Macron's surprisingly solid ping-pong skills.

Meanwhile, French media reported on Friday that Brigitte Macron visited China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Chengdu on Friday.  

The center serves both as a major tourist attraction and a leading scientific facility where two 17-year-old pandas, loaned to France in 2012, have just returned, according to the report. Panda couple Huan Huan and Yuan Zai returned to China from the zoo in November 2025 and their baby twins Huan Lili and Yuan Dudu are currently in France.

The China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) announced on Thursday that it signed a letter of intent with Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan, France, to extend their international cooperation on giant panda conservation, per a statement released on CWCA's WeChat account on Thursday. 

The new phase of cooperation will begin after the current agreement expires and the two panda cubs in France return to China.

Macron's choice to visit Chengdu was influenced in part by the pandas, as previously, the two pandas loaned to France were seen as symbols of friendship and gained many fans during their stay there, Cui noted. "In this sense, the pandas have effectively become a symbol of the friendship between the peoples of China and France, as well as a bridge connecting the two nations," Cui said. 

The French leader's itinerary in Chengdu focuses mainly on culture, education, and related areas, which are essential components of China-France relations, the Chinese expert added. 

"As bilateral ties have developed, people-to-people and cultural exchanges characterized by equal dialogue and in-depth communication have become a vital part of the relationship and are likely to play an even more fundamental role in the period ahead," Cui said. 

Fruitful results 

China and France have issued joint statements on strengthening global governance, joint response to global climate and environmental challenges, continuous promotion of cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy, exchanges and cooperation in agriculture and food, and the situations in Ukraine and Palestine, during Macron's state visit to China, Xinhua reported. 

The joint statements issued by China and France, including those on the situations in Ukraine and Palestine, showed that the two countries have coordinated to reach common consensus, Song Luzheng, a research fellow at the China Institute of Fudan University who resides in France, told the Global Times on Friday. 

"Those statements also reflect the responsibility and role of China and France as major global powers, which emphasize playing a constructive role in international affairs," Song said, noting that in a world marked by turbulence and uncertainty, those consensuses inject rare stability to the international community.

"This visit took place against the backdrop of changes in China-EU relations this year. Compared with the first half of the year, when China and EU institutions were unable to reach broader consensus, the cooperative atmosphere and proactive stance demonstrated in this China-France interaction represent significant progress and a notable breakthrough," Cui said.

The engagement between China and France has laid a solid foundation for continued high-level China-EU interactions and provides a model and experience for other European countries, he said, adding that its impact extends beyond the bilateral and immediate context, and is expected to have positive implications for the future.